ACTHIV® 2026 FACULTY EDUCATOR AND

PLANNING COMMITTEE DISCLOSURES

This educational activity contains discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Academy and ACTHIV® do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. Faculty will disclose such discussion at the time of their sessions.

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty, and do not represent those of the Academy, or ACTHIV®. This educational activity is intended as a supplement to existing knowledge, published information, and practice guidelines. Learners should appraise the information presented critically and draw conclusions only after careful consideration of all available scientific information.

According to the disclosure policy of the Academy, all faculty, planning committee members, editors, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relationships with any ineligible company(ies). The existence of these relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the activity. Clinical content has been reviewed for fair balance and scientific objectivity, and all of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

FACULTY EDUCATOR DISCLOSURES

The following individuals have no relevant financial

relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:

  • Bruce Aldred, MD 
  • Jason Baker, MD, MS 
  • J. Kevin Carmichael, MD, FIDSA, DABFM 
  • Emily Cartwright, MD 
  • Herbert Castillo Valladares, MD, MHS 
  • Kristina Crothers, MD 
  • Erika Dixon, LCSW 
  • Janet Hines, MD 
  • Steven Johnson, MD 
  • Aley Kalapila, MD, PhD 
  • Adam Leonard, PhD(c), MS, MPH, RN, CPNP, AAHIVS
  • Kara McGee, DMS, MSPH, PA-C 
  • Timothy Menza, MD, PhD 
  • Jamie, Morano, MD, MPH 
  • Michelle Collins-Ogle, MD, FAAP, FPIDS 
  • Neha Pandit, PharmD 
  • Ina Park, MD, MS 
  • Bradley Smith, PharmD, BCACP, AAHIVP 
  • Teresa Theophano, LCSW 
  • Lara Valerio, MS, RD, LDN 
  • Janice Williams, DNP, MSN, MTS, BSN, HPE-AC, FNP-C, CNE 
  • Matty Zimmerman, PharmD, BCIDP, AAHIVP

The following individuals have relevant financial

relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

 

  • Marisa Brizzi, PharmD Advisory Board/Consultant: Merck, ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences Speaker’s Bureau: ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences 
  • Michelle Cespedes, MD, MS Advisory Board/Consultant: ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences Grant/Research Support: Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, ViiV Healthcare 
  • Christopher Evans, MD, MPH Grant/Research Support: ViiV Healthcare 
  • Angela Kapalko, PA-C, AAHIVS Advisory Board/Consultant: Merck, ViiV Healthcare, Theratechnologies Speaker’s Bureau: Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare, Alkermes 
  • David Koren, PharmD, MPH, BCIDP, AAHIVP, FIDSA Advisory Board/Consultant: Merck, ViiV Healthcare* Speaker’s Bureau: Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare 
  • Tatyana Kushner, MD, MSCE Advisory Board/Consultant: Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, AbbVie, Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Grant/Research Support: Gilead Sciences, Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Ipsen, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals 
  • Lesley Miller, MD Advisory Board/Consultant: Imagine Hope, Inc. Grant/Research Support: Gilead Sciences* 
  • Melanie Thompson, MD Independent Data Monitoring Committee: Excision Biotherapeutics* 
  • Timothy Wilkin, MD, MPH Advisory Board/Consultant: Merck, SIGA, ViiV Healthcare* Grant/Research Support: GlaxoSmithKline/ViiV Healthcare, Merck* 
  • Christina Wyatt, MD Speaker: Novo Nordisk* (single meeting organized by Duke Urology), Bayer* (single meeting organized by Gates Foundation)

 

*indicates relationship has ended

**indicates Conference or Session Cochair

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE AND
SESSION CO-CHAIR DISCLOSURES

The following individuals have no relevant financial

relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:

  • Beatrice Aladin, MD, MPA
  • Melissa Badowski, PharmD, MPH**
  • Jillian Baron, MD, MPH**
  • John T. Brooks, MD
  • Corette Byrd, RN, MS
  • Jonathan Colasanti, MD, MSPH**
  • Carolyn Chu, MD, MSc
  • Carlos del Rio, MD
  • Courtney V. Fletcher, PharmD
  • Jose I. Gutierrez Jr., PhD, FNP-BC
  • Margaret Hoffman-Terry MD, FACP, AAHIVS
  • Tomasz Z. Jodlowski, PharmD
  • John JD Juchniewicz, MCIS, CHCP, FACEHP
  • H. Nina Kim, MD, MSc**
  • Natalie Kirkwood, RN, BSN, JD
  • Lorenzo L. McFarland, DHA, LMSW, MPH
  • Michelle Collins-Ogle, MD, FAAP, FPIDS
  • Daiquiri Yvette Robinson, MEd
  • Sarah Smith, MHS, PA-C, AAHIVS**
  • Jessie Torgersen, MD, MHS, MSCE**
  • Virginia A. Triant, MD, MPH

The following individuals have relevant financial

relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

 

  • Alisha Adams, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC Advisory Board/Consultant: ViiV HealthCare
  • Roger Bedimo, MD** Advisory Board/Consultant: ViiV Healthcare, Merck, Gilead Sciences, Shionogi
  • Eric S. Daar, MD Advisory Board/Consultant: Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare, Merck, Theratechnologies* Grant/Research Support: Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare
  • Christopher Evans, MD, MPH** Grant/Research Support: ViiV Healthcare
  • Oluwaseun Falade-Nwulia, MBBS, MPH** Advisory Board/Consultant: Gilead Sciences* Grant/Research Support: AbbVie
  • Eric Farmer, PharmD, BCPS, AAHIVP** Speaker’s Bureau: ViiV Healthcare
  • Christopher B. Fox, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, AAHIVS Grant/Research Support: ViiV Healthcare
  • Rupa Patel, MD, MPH, FIDSA** Speaker (one time): ViiV Healthcare*, Roche Diagnostics*
  • Tonia Poteat, PhD, MPH, PA-C** Advisory Board/Consultant: Merck* Grant/Research Support: ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences
  • Asa Radix, MD, PhD, FACP, FIDSA** Reviewer for Research Award: Gilead Sciences
  • Renslow Sherer, MD Grant/Research Support: Gilead Sciences
  • William R. Short, MD, MPH** Advisory Board/Consultant: ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences
  • Pablo Tebas, MD Advisory Board/Consultant: ViiV Healthcare, Merck
  • Melanie Thompson, MD**  Independent Data Monitoring Committee: Excision Biotherapeutics*

*indicates relationship has ended
**indicates Conference or Session Cochair

Implicit Bias: Implicit bias refers to unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that influence our thoughts, judgements, decisions, and actions without our awareness. Everyone is susceptible to implicit bias, even clinicians. In healthcare, implicit biases can have a significant impact on the quality of care an individual receives. These biases can be both favorable and unfavorable, and are activated involuntarily without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. Studies have indicated that healthcare providers’ incorrect perceptions can impact providers’ communications and clinical decision-making contributing to disparities in clinical outcomes. Addressing implicit biases in healthcare is critical to improving health outcomes and promoting health equity for all patients. Patient centered care can reduce the impact of implicit bias, by treating each patient as a unique individual who may or may not hold beliefs associated with their backgrounds and circumstances. In addition, recognizing implicit bias in one’s own practice using techniques such as self-reflection and mindful clinical decision-making can ensure more equitable and effective care for all patients.


Over the past several decades, cognitive science research has demonstrated human behavior, beliefs and attitudes are shaped by automatic and unconscious cognitive processes. The healthcare profession is devoting greater attention to how these automatic and unconscious processes impact care including: (1) preferential treatment toward or against specific patient populations causing healthcare inequities, (2) influence patient-provider communications leading to misunderstandings and mistrust, and (3) impact access to healthcare and affect treatment decisions resulting in misdiagnosis, delays in treatment and specialty referrals and poor pain management. Considering one might have unconscious biases and exploring them may be uncomfortable because the very idea that they exist may conflict with how clinicians perceive themselves. It is only by becoming aware of one’s unconscious biases that members of the healthcare team can take steps to mitigate them to ensure all their patients receive quality healthcare.